Martha Hardin

I have been  married to Dudley D. Hardin for 55 years (1/1/46).  When we moved to Irving in 1953, the population was about 1200 and new homes and shopping centers were just beginning to be constructed. We bought our first new home, and have lived at 1815 W. Irving Blvd since 1955. 

We had three daughters, Vickie Ann, Rebecca Jane, and Mitzi Lou; eight grandchildren; and 5 great grandchildren.

 

I retired in 1993 after 17 years with Sanger-Harris/Foley’s in Irving; after 37 years,Dudley retired from Braniff Airways when he closed the company doors after the second shutdown in February,1990.  We are very fortunate in that we have been  able to travel the world over, still love traveling and enjoying the wonderful lands, particularly our own U.S. of A.

 This is a snap shot of our current “at home family” – Dudley, Myself, and our mini dachy, Tippi.  She is so smart and Makes Us Laugh!

 

After I retired, I wanted to do something to try to keep the ole’ gray matter from turning to stone, so I bought a computer, took two classes at Northlake College, and then was lucky enough to find about the computer group at Lively Park Senior Center.  Lucy Hendy was the person who made me feel so welcomed, then Betty Holland took me under her wing and hasn’t been able to get rid of me since!  Others have been so very helpful and I just hope I have been able to respond in kind.

We have a fine bunch of people in our Computers For Fun Class and I look forward to attending every week.

 We are particularly fortunate to have had Jere May, with all his patience, coaching us along at our snail-paced capacity, for some months now.  Kudos to you, Jere!!

Someone from my past that I would like to locate:

            My best friend in the high school was Peggy Jean Smith.  We graduated from Texarkana, TX High School in 1944, I went with her Mother that summer to take her to St. Paul’s Nursing School in Dallas, where she studied and became a nurse.  Through the war years following, I lost track of her and would really like to be able to meet up with her again.

Favorite Pastime Activities

Other than my computer pursuits and conquests, I love reading books of all kinds.  Among my favorite authors: John Grisham, Mary Higgins Clark, Danielle Steele, Sue Grafton (I have all of the last two authors books and all but one of Grisham’s).

  On my 70^th birthday, one of my daughters gave me a book that she said made her think of me and thought I would enjoy.  The title is “When I am An Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple” An anthology of Short Stories and Poetry  edited by  Sandra Martz and printed by Paper-Mache Press. The first poem, “Warning”, by Jenny Joseph is my favorite and is somewhat a multipart of me, myself & I.

 

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple

With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.

And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves

And satin sandals, and say we have no money for butter.

I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired

And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells

And run my stick along the public railings

And make up for the sobriety of my youth.

I shall go out in my slippers in the rain

And pick the flowers in other peoples gardens

And learn to spit.

 

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat

And eat three pounds of sausage at a go

Or only bread and pickle for a week

And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

 

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry

And pay our rent and not swear in the street

And set a good example for the children.

We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

 

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?

So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised

When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.